BMW E36 Forum

Hi Guys,

This is my first post. I have a 1998 BMW E36 Compact and I've been experiencing idle problems for a while now. Normally the issue shows itself after a drive on the motorway, which I do everyday to and from work, I may have done a couple of miles at say 50-70mph then hit stationary traffic at which point I put the car into neutral, but instead of the car return to an idle of under 1000 it may still be at 2000-2500 it can then take a while for it to return to normal sometimes 30 secs other time 5 mins. The idle never fluctuates and it can happen on shorter journeys as well, but not all the time. In extreme cases I have to turn the engine off and leave if for a while. Has anyone else experienced this as all I can find are posts on ruff idles?? Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

James

Well that is wierd but check the cable at the throttle body and like turn your car on, rev the engine from under the hood a little and see if the cable kind of retracts back to where its supposed to be. u know what i mean? if not try some throttle body intake spray or something. turn your car off, remove intake hose and spray it on the butterfly valve or whatever and open it and spray some inside it as well. if your not getting this or have tried it, let me know.

Parviz.

I had a similar problem on a MK2 Golf, turns out the throttle cable was adjusted too tight. Always worth a quick mooch.

Did you try to clean the idle control valve (ICV)?